


Reality's Sunset

by Otherworldly_Sunsets



Series: The Tales of the Arkham Trio (+ Ivy) [1]
Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan), DC Extended Universe, Joker (2019), The Dark Knight (2008)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff and Angst, Harley and Arthur are best friends, Idk what to call this au, Joker (DCU)'s Name is Jack, M/M, Overall fluff, Sunsets, They're all in the same universe, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:48:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22610503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Otherworldly_Sunsets/pseuds/Otherworldly_Sunsets
Summary: He felt his mouth open in awe, his breath catching in his throat and replacing the tingling sensation as his eyes took hold of the orangish-pink hue of the sky. The sun was halfway hidden behind a tall building, the faintest of clouds moving slowly beside it and mixing in with the beautiful colors to make a cotton candy-like image.Arthur moved forward, his mind barely registering the man beside him as his gaze stayed on the sunset. It was so beautiful; so breathtaking and new to him. He never wanted to look away."Do you like it?" Jack's voice was soft, softer than Arthur had ever heard before, and the shorter man turned to him."I, um..." Arthur looked back at the sunset, his hands gripping at the bottom of his shirt. "Yes, I do."
Relationships: Arthur Fleck & Joker (DCU), Arthur Fleck/Joker (DCU)
Series: The Tales of the Arkham Trio (+ Ivy) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1627741
Comments: 7
Kudos: 54





	Reality's Sunset

**Author's Note:**

> The inspiration for this story comes from one of my favorite artists: Selmiiiart on Tumblr (Please go check her out, she is so good!)  
> I hope you enjoy this and please try to remain civil and respectful in the comments!  
> Thanks!

It wasn't the unreadable glint in Jack's eyes that startled Arthur, nor was it the tight grip he had on his wrist. No, the strange amount of fear that bubbled in his throat came from the thought of where Jack was taking him. In front of him was a man that was known for "getting rid of" any/all henchmen that screwed the plan up, did him wrong, or just plain annoyed him. However, Arthur couldn't find a single reason as to why Jack would want to kill him. (None except maybe his laughing condition, but Arthur had begun to think that Jack was getting used to that). He wasn't even sure if Jack saw him as a "henchman". Surely he was something more, right?

The taller man moved quickly, his tongue occasionally gliding along his lips as it usually did, but it seemed different now; more aggressive and impatient. His eyes never fell upon Arthur- never even attempted to -and that only stirred Arthur's worries more. Perhaps he had done something wrong during their last fight with Batman? Maybe Harley said something she shouldn't have? 

Whatever it was, Arthur felt more fear than he ever had toward the other man. 

He really didn't want to die.

Jack kicked a door open, a slight growl-like sound slipping past his lips as he hurriedly pulled Arthur up the many cold, stone stairs. Arthur gasped a little as he tripped over some steps, his hand gripping and rubbing at his throat as he felt the familiar, tingling sensation bubble up inside it. He lowered his head and closed his eyes, silently hoping that he wouldn't laugh; afraid that it would anger Jack even more (if he even _was_ angry to begin with). He managed to keep it down all the way up the steps; a few gags and/or muffled snickers sneaking out every time he'd momentarily lose his footing.

Next thing Arthur knew, another door was being kicked open and a nice, cool breeze was rushing over him like a blanket. He shivered a little, lifting his head and opening his eyes to, once again, look at the man in front of him. 

Jack had let go of Arthur, his body still as he stared ahead at the horizon of the city with a slight twitch of his lips. Looking past him, Arthur saw something he had never taken the time to watch before: A Gotham sunset.

He felt his mouth open in awe, his breath catching in his throat and replacing the tingling sensation as his eyes took hold of the orangish-pink hue of the sky. The sun was halfway hidden behind a tall building, the faintest of clouds moving slowly beside it and mixing in with the beautiful colors to make a cotton candy-like image. 

Arthur moved forward, his mind barely registering the man beside him as his gaze stayed on the sunset. It was so beautiful; so breathtaking and new to him. He never wanted to look away.

"Do you like it?" Jack's voice was soft, softer than Arthur had ever heard before, and the shorter man turned to him. 

"I, um..." Arthur looked back at the sunset, his hands gripping at the bottom of his shirt. "Yes, I do." 

Jack seemed to like that answer, his gaze turning to Arthur as he held a hand out to him. "Wanna get a closer look?"

Arthur's breath caught in his throat again as he faced the other man. 'Get a closer look'? Surely he was going to kill him - throw him off the edge like he was nothing and waltz right back inside without a second thought. Arthur took a step back, never moving his gaze from Jack's as the other man tilted his head and furrowed his brows. 

"What?" Jack questioned, his hand falling back to his side. "What's wrong?"

Arthur swallowed and glanced to the horizon again. "Are you..." He turned back to Jack. "Are you going to kill me?"

Jack's eyes widened, his lips curling along his scars to form a seemingly-wicked smile as he let out a laugh of disbelief. " _Kill_ you?!" He amused the idea. "Why the Hell would I kill you?!" He shook his head, holding his hand out for Arthur to take again and giving him a reassuring grin once he finally took it. "I'm not gonna kill you, Artie." He said, "I just want to show you something."

Arthur, with some hesitance, nodded and allowed Jack to lead him to the edge of the roof- the area that would give them the best view of the sunset. Jack sat down on the edge, looking around for any sign of the Bat before looking up at Arthur and motioning for him to join him. After a moment's thought, Arthur sat down beside him and looked ahead once again, the sunset helping his nerves settle enough for him to relax.

After a few moments of watching the sun go down, the colors fading from orange and pink to a slight purple, Jack spoke up.

"You've never seen anything like this, have you?" Arthur turned to him, shaking his head after giving the question some thought. Jack licked his lips again and shifted a little closer to Arthur. "Well, keep watching. It gets better." With a nod, Arthur gave him a faint smile and looked back at the sunset, sighing softly as silence once again settled in between them.

If the sunset did get 'better', Arthur didn't notice. His thoughts began to drift from the view before him, questions of Jack's purposes filling his mind before he could stop them. Jack didn't want to kill him, so why did he take the time to drag Arthur all the way up to the rooftop just to watch a sunset? Why not bring Harley or Ivy? Surely they would be more entertaining than Arthur. Was it out of some sort of pity? Pity for the frailer man sitting beside him, for the abused man that had gone through Hell as a child? 

They had spoken about Arthur's mother multiple times before. Penny Fleck - delusional beyond belief - always seemed to piss Jack off every time someone spoke of her. Arthur began to recall the words the other Joker had said to him after hearing the story for about the third time:

"Y'know what that is? It's bullshit. You were, what, six? Seven? My father may have degraded me and cut me; he may have laughed as I screamed, but he never - _never_ tied me to anything. Never starved me. Why did they do that to you?"

Arthur eventually found himself facing Jack again, his gaze immediately falling on the scars that littered the sides of the taller man's mouth. He thought of what Jack's father might have looked like, what his mother might have looked like. He thought of Jack's story - as much as it changed, Arthur knew which one was the truth. Jack never had a wife, never even thought of getting one. However, he did have a father, and that father was certainly far from good. 

Arthur studied Jack's face carefully. Without the makeup, Arthur could easily make out the slight twitch of Jack's brow, his longish hair, and his dark, almost black eyes. There was a lot of emotion in those eyes, Arthur noticed. A lot of melancholy and anger shielding a small hint of doubt and pain that Arthur liked to believe only he could see. He felt important to Jack - important in a way others could never match up to - and he began to wonder if that importance was a real thing.

'A real thing.' Arthur found that thought sort of heartbreaking. For all he knew, none of this was real. Just like Sophie; Jack, Harley, and Ivy would all just fade away and Arthur would be left with nothing but his own pains and fears for the rest of his life - crazy and alone. Arthur moved his gaze down to his wrist, his fingers beginning to fiddle with a black, beaded bracelet that Harley had given him over a month ago. "Something to remember her by" she had called it. 

Arthur suddenly didn't feel so crazy anymore.

"What's that?" Jack's voice caught Arthur's attention and he looked up quickly, his mouth opening slightly as he tried to find the right words to say. "Who gave you that?"

"H-Harley," Arthur replied, his hand moving to cover the accessory for no real reason. "She said it was a way to prove that she's actually... y'know..." Arthur shrugged a little. "Real."

Jack nodded, his tongue gliding across his lips again as he eyed Arthur's wrist with interest. "Maybe I could give you something, too?" 

Arthur's eyes widened, as did his smile as he asked, "Really?"

"Sure!" Jack reached into his coat pocket, soon pulling out his signature knife and pointing the blade towards Arthur's hand. "How about a little cut? Would that be good enough?"

Almost immediately, Arthur moved his hand away and shifted away from the other man, the glint in his eyes changing from hopeful to fearful as he watched Jack put the knife back in his pocket with a soft laugh.

"I'm kidding, Artie," Jack reassured, his smirk fading into a faint smile as he carefully reached out to the thinner man again. "Give me your hand."

Arthur didn't.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Arthur," Jack stated truthfully, his tongue gliding along his lips as he gave Arthur a reassuring look. "Just trust me. Have I ever hurt you before?"

No, he hadn't. Arthur knew that. Sure, sometimes Jack would scare him, joke around a little, but he never leaped to violence with the brunet. However, that didn't mean that the fear Arthur felt was just going to disappear. 

"Arthur." Jack's voice was a little sterner now. However, the patience in his tone still lingered. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes." Arthur hadn't meant to reply so swiftly. Jack seemed to like the answer, though.

"Give me your hand, then."

Finally, Arthur looked back down at Jack's hand and, with a short intake of breath, rested his hand into Jack's own. The taller man gently rubbed the back of Arthur's hand with his thumb as, what Arthur had believed to be, a 'thank you'.

Jack's hand felt rough, certainly different from how it felt when Jack had his gloves on. However, it still felt as calming; as grounding as it always did. Like a reminder of: _I'm here, I'm real._

Slowly, Jack pulled Arthur to him, his gaze never slipping away from Arthur's own as the thinner man allowed all this to happen. Much to Arthur's surprise, his condition never spiked up. He was in no discomfort, no pain, no fear anymore. Only a strange type of relaxation that only Jack seemed to give him. Before the thinner man knew it, Jack was placing a soft kiss onto the back of his hand and, moving an arm around his waist, whispered into his ear:

"How's that for a cut?"

Arthur huffed out a laugh, leaning into Jack's embrace without a second thought. He always knew that Jack felt something more for him than Harley and Ivy. 

He always knew, but never believed it to be true.

However, he felt different now.

Time passed as the two quietly enjoyed the last of the sunset, occasionally pointing to any star they might see. Arthur rested calmly with his head on Jack's chest, that familiar, warm feeling in his chest as he listened to the other man tell him story after story about Batman, Ivy, Harley - whatever it may have been. He felt at ease for once; at peace with himself.

He finally felt happy.

**END**

**Author's Note:**

> All stories I write/post will be on this account + my Tumblr account ("otherworldly_sunsets") ONLY!  
> If you see my stories under any other account on here, or on any other media, then someone stole my work. I will post this message on every story I write.  
> I hope you enjoyed the story! Thanks!


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